The mask slips… it only took a day! SNP minister admits: I'm 'happy' for welfare bill to skyrocket
A senior SNP minister has said she is 'happy' for Scotland's benefits bill to continue to skyrocket.
Shirley-Anne Somerville was accused of being 'detached' from the priorities of ordinary Scots after she rejected concerns about the soaring cost of welfare payments.
It came just a day after her government unveiled a £2.6billion cuts drive which will consider changes to the current 'light-touch' approach to adult disability payment appeals in order to bring down costs.
Experts say spending cuts or tax rises will be needed to pay for the rising cost of devolved benefits, which is forecast to soar to more than £9billion a year.
Scottish Conservative social security spokesman Alexander Stewart said: 'This sums up how detached SNP ministers are from Scots priorities.
Hard-pressed taxpayers are desperate for them to tackle Scotland's benefits bill. However, this answer makes it clear the Nationalists are content to squander their money rather than accepting their failure to get a grip on the costs of their benefits system.
'If they don't get a grip of this situation, it will mean further cuts to essential services or yet more tax rises for hard-pressed Scots, who are already sick of paying more and getting less.'
The Social Security Secretary's comments came during an appearance on the BBC's Question Time programme from St Andrews, after she condemned Labour's welfare reforms.
Asked if she was happy to see the welfare bill increase, she said that there needs to be a 'robust' social security system which supports people when they need it. She said: 'I will not support cuts if it takes away from the vulnerable.'
Pressed on whether she was happy that the bill will increase, she said: 'I am happy that we have a government that has the backs of disabled people, unlike Labour, and we will not walk away from them up here in Scotland.'
Presenter Fiona Bruce said: 'Just to be clear, as the welfare bill is increased in Scotland you are happy with that?'
Ms Somerville replied: 'We know that we have responsibilities as a government to meet that budget, so I'm happy with the fact that we are supporting people, yes.'
During the programme, filmed as details about the UK Government's partial U-turn on welfare reform began to emerge, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar highlighted that the SNP was reviewing its approach to adult disability payment assessments, and 'recognise that the sustainability of it is in question'.
The Fraser of Allander Institute has previously said the number of people receiving devolved disability benefits is forecast to rise to over 1.13million by 2029/30.
While it said the caseload for disability benefits is growing across the UK, 'it is rising more rapidly in Scotland', where a 'light-touch review process' has been introduced, 'where claimants can confirm their condition remains the same without needing to provide extensive new evidence'.
The Scottish Government's fiscal sustainability delivery planb acknowledged that there has been 'a lower rate of adult disability benefit awards being ended or decreased at review than previously forecast'.
Ms Somerville also admitted that Scotland's NHS has 'challenges' when confronted with concerns about cancer care delays. Mr Sarwar said: 'Put bluntly, I don't believe the NHS will survive a third decade of John Swinney and the SNP.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Keir Starmer's authority has vanished. What's the point of this Government? When the time comes the British people will kick him into orbit: Read BORIS JOHNSON's devastating verdict a year on from Labour's loveless landslide
So that's it. Pffft! With a long sibilant farting efflatus as if from a punctured balloon the last of Keir Starmer 's authority has vanished to the four winds. He can't control his backbenchers. He can't deliver on his election promises. His flagship welfare reform Bill – once hailed as the superdreadnought of the Labour fleet – has run up the white flag at the first whiff of gunfire and vanished back to port.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Major US chain with 45 branches FINALLY adds iconic menu item to UK restaurants
A MAJOR US chain with 45 branches has finally added an iconic menu item to UK restaurants. Wendy's is bringing its Biggie Bag to the UK, giving customers a chance to try what Americans have dubbed the "best deal in fast food". 1 The meal deal gives customers a chance to get a small cheeseburger, chicken nuggets, small fries and drink for £5. Diners can upgrade for an extra £2.99 to get their hands on one of the chain's "premium" burgers such as a Wendy's Spicy Chicken or Wendy's Single. The more pricey version also comes with chicken nuggets, a small drink and chips. Wendy's £5 bargain allows customers to save around £1.77 The price of a small drink is around £1.49 at the chain, while the cost of a small burger is £2.49 and a four piece nugget is £2.79 and fries costs £1.59. If you bought all the items separately it would cost £8.36, but be aware prices may vary from store to store. Meanwhile, customers who upgrade to the £7.99 Biggie Bag can save £3.17. The offer has been a long standing feature in Wendy's restaurants in the US, with customers saying they "love it". One loyal fan said: "I upgrade to a large so my toddler can share and have the nuggets and some burger. So much better than McDonald's." While another customer said: "The Biggie bag is absolutely delicious I get it every time I go to Wendy's." If you are keen to try it out for yourself you will need to be quick as the offer will only be available on UK menus until August 1. You can find your nearest Wendy's by visiting, And that is not all the fast-food chain has also launched two new nugget flavours . It's new spicy nuggets are drenched in either Frank's RedHot Buffalo Sauce or Cattleman's Honey BBQ Sauce. The menu item will available to try from July 1. MORE FAST FOOD NEWS And Wendy's is not the only fast-food chain to shake things up recently. Slim Chickens has opened four new sites across the UK this month including sites in Swansea, Ealing, Walton and Birmingham. Another four Slim Chickens restaurants are set to open soon in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, and Reading, along with an undisclosed location in West London. The final two sites, also undisclosed, will complete the chain's 16 new openings in 2025. Elsewhere, Carls Jnr will be opening new sites in Southampton, Bristol, Manchester, York and Leeds. The Swansea restaurant is set to open in late August, while the chain is likely to land in Southampton and Manchester around October. No dates have been confirmed yet for the remaining restaurants. How to save money eating out THERE are a number of ways that you can save money when eating out. Here's how: Discount codes - Check sites like Sun Vouchers or VoucherCodes for any discount codes you can use to get money off your order. Tastecard - This is a members club where you pay to have access to discounts worth up to 50 per cent off at thousands of restaurants. It costs £4.99 a month or £34.99 for the year. Loyalty schemes - Some restaurants will reward you with discounts or a free meal if you register with their loyalty scheme, such as Nando's where you can collect a stamp with every visit. Some chains like Pizza Express will send you discounts for special occasions, such as your birthday, if you sign up to their newsletter. Voucher schemes - Look out for voucher schemes offered by third party firms, such as Meerkat Meals. If you compare and buy a product through then you'll be rewarded with access to the discount scheme. You'll get 2 for 1 meals at certain restaurants through Sunday to Thursday. Student discounts - If you're in full-time education or a member of the National Students Union then you may be able to get a discount of up to 15 per cent off the bill. It's always worth asking before you place your order.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
ANDREW PIERCE reveals the breathtakingly cynical reason why Keir Starmer WON'T sack chancellor Rachel Reeves...yet
As MPs poured out of the Commons after another stormy Prime Minister's Questions this week, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves cut a particularly lonely figure. With her head bowed, Reeves was exiting the Chamber alone – until one colleague caught up with her to walk loyally by her side. It was the chairman of the Labour Party, one Ellie Reeves, the Chancellor's younger sister. No other Labour MP, it seems, was willing to be seen associating with the embattled Chancellor. What a dismal year she has had. Reeves came into office last summer promising to 'unlock private investment', 'fix the foundations of our economy' and deliver 'sustained economic growth'. She has failed on all three counts – and it increasingly shows. Many Labour MPs commented on the Chancellor's body language as she took her usual place next to Starmer at PMQs. 'She looked broken, like she had been tranquillised,' says one source. 'She is clearly deeply troubled and unhappy.' There have even been reports – sharply denied by the Treasury – that Reeves spent much of Thursday in floods of tears amid shouting matches with colleagues. 'It's not true: she is resolute,' says one of her allies – a diminishing group these days. Now the Chancellor's problems are about to get even worse. Keir Starmer 's screeching U-turn over disability benefit cuts means she has to find billions to fill a budget black hole – and comes only weeks after her humiliating £1.25 billion volte-face on winter fuel payments. With almost 130 Labour MPs joining the revolt over the Welfare Bill, there are now huge questions about the Prime Minister's grip over his party. Keir Starmer 's screeching U-turn over disability benefit cuts means Reeves has to find billions to fill a budget black hole But it is the debacle over disability cuts that threatens to destroy the remnants of the Chancellor's political and economic credibility. Reeves is now at the centre of a full-blown crisis in relations between Downing Street and Labour MPs. The Chancellor – more than any other member of the Cabinet – is being blamed for the shambles. Some MPs have privately said they 'hate' her. Now the Chancellor's critics within her own party are growing ever louder. Worryingly for Reeves, they include a number of ministers unhappy at her performance. In the increasingly febrile mood at Westminster, even moderate Labour MPs are now saying Starmer should sack her. If she stays, they reason, she will worsen the PM's poll ratings – languishing at an abysmal 46 per cent in the latest YouGov survey. But would Starmer have the guts to ditch his Chancellor barely a year after their landslide general election victory? Absolutely not – and the reason why, I can reveal, is breathtakingly cynical. One senior party figure tells me: 'Number 10 needs her. She is absorbing all the blame for our problems, and therefore diverting it from the PM. 'Whether it's in the rural areas over her decision to bring in inheritance tax for farmers, or with pensioners over winter fuel, it's Rachel's name that comes up on the doorstep every time, not Keir's. 'Keir is an anonymous figure at Parliament. We rarely see him and he's never in the division lobbies, while Rachel is there all the time. She's receiving huge flak from her own colleagues.' But my source also warned fellow Labour MPs: 'Have we learnt nothing from the Tory years? They went into the last election a shattered force and suffered their worst ever defeat.' While few MPs expect Reeves to be sacked or even demoted in the short term, the next big test could be the autumn Budget. Reeves set herself two new fiscal rules in the last Budget: pledging to balance day-to-day spending with tax receipts and to get public debt down as a share of the economy. Another source says: 'The PM may order her to change the rules to avoid tax rises. It could lead to a showdown. If she refuses, she goes. If she agrees to change them, her last scrap of respectability is gone and she will be a lame duck. If taxes go up, it's hard to see how she could limp on for much longer.' After the Budget, Labour faces the Welsh Assembly and Scottish Parliament elections in May. Reform are expecting to capture Wales, a traditional Labour stronghold. A senior government figure says: 'If the local elections are a disaster, Keir will need to blame someone. There'll be yet another 'reset' and I think he'll throw Rachel under a bus if he hasn't already. He will pledge a new direction with a new Chancellor.' The favourite would be Pat McFadden, the dour Cabinet Office minister. But if Tuesday's vote is dramatically lost – now thought to be unlikely after the rebels won a raft of concessions – Reeves would be in dire trouble, as in fiscal terms the Government would be holed below the waterline. Reeves' own political hero is Gordon Brown. She will no doubt be aware of his infamous quip that there are two types of Chancellor: those who fail and those who get out just in time. A mere 11 months after she entered the Treasury, most Labour MPs – to say nothing of the country at large – have already decided which one of those she is.
